Monday, December 12, 2005

Giving Buzz da Boot

Straight Goods the first left of centre Canadian on-line journal has launched a humourous if vitorlic campaign against Liberal Luvin Buzz.

Buzz on Buzz:

Take the online
Straight Goods Survey
and qualify for a chance to win Straight Goods gear.

Now what's interesting is the buzzing on the left on line over all this. Rabble has taken an implicitly soft stand on Buzz and, as I reported here earlier, Straight Goods has taken offense over Buzz's finger in the wind politics.

Now Straight Goods , despite being it's predecesor, doesn't get the same buzz that Rabble does ,in the left and MSM, with its high profile owner Judy Rebick, and her pals like Jim Stanford of CAW. Nope they are the little on-line mag that could. So do I detect some political and commercial rivalry over this?

Rabble has attempted to be less partisan by running a Buzz commentary defending himself, while publishing columnists opposing Buzz, and its babble forum where all hell broke loose.

Straight Goods on the other hand has always identified itself with 'The Party'.
They have columnists like Watkins and Tielman (who worked for the BCFL and the BC NDP),representing the old guard of the NDP. They sniffled over the upstarts at Rabble, Rebick and Stanford, who were the voice of the NPI, New Politics Initivative, which despite their support from Buzz, flamed out when it tried to reform the NDP.

This could be described as a classic confrontation between the old left and the new left in Canadian social democratic politics. Except I am not sure which is which. Since Mel Watkins founder of the left wing Waffle is onside with Straight Goods and Rebick and Stanford the NPI are on side with Buzz.

Both groups were the new left in the NDP in their day. And the NPI folks with the support of Buzz and the CAW disolved in favour of Jack Layton. See what I mean, its confusing without a program.

And while Jack is keeping tight lipped about all this, smart thing too, the NDP rank and file and their supporters have declared war on Buzz. Both the old left and new left. Should the NDP not gain seats in this election both will unite in blaming Buzz, no matter what they say or do now. And blaming Buzz will be giving him too much credit and it will be just the ego-boo he wants.

You see Buzz is all about, well Buzz. He loves all this attention he has been getting. He has become the ISSUE for the NDP in this election.He wants to be King Maker, whether in the Labour movement or the NDP, and failling that he would love to be King on his own island.

So if his overtures to Paul work out he can position himself against both Georgetti of the CLC and Layton of the NDP. Oh what a tangled web he weaves with nary a care for the result as long as it benefits Buzz.

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